Attention, Wegmans shoppers!
The beloved grocer celebrated the grand opening of its first store on Long Island Wednesday -- a 101,000-square-foot supermarket in the DSW plaza at the corner of Middle County Road and Moriches Road in Lake Grove.
Doors opened at 9 a.m., with a line of eagerly awaiting shoppers wrapped around the building, some waiting more than an hour to get inside. The crowd actually started to gather on Tuesday.
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WATCH HEREThe store was crowded for much of the day. Local and county police were called in to direct traffic due to the big crowds; police warned drivers to expect gridlock in the area.
The new store will employ more than 500 people in full- and part-time positions. Recruitment began last summer and is ongoing for the remaining part-time positions and select full-time positions. Available jobs span departments, including sushi, pizza, prepared foods, deli and charcuterie, cheese, seafood, bakery, and front end. Get info here.
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SIGN UP Not everyone was celebrating the opening, however. Union protesters welcoming Wegmans by claiming the grocery chain is anti-union. The group urged shoppers to stay away, saying customers should shop in stores "with union people getting paid a fair wage."
The message did not seem to stop or even slow the wave of excited customers on day one, with smiles far outnumbering frowns from shoppers — one of whom called it "like the Disney World of food."
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Wegmans made its move into Manhattan back in October 2023, opening its first store in Greenwich Village.
